The Cedar Rapids Airport Commission submitted an application to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board to reorganize FTZ 175 under the Alternative Site Framework, and expand the zone to cover 30 counties in Eastern Iowa, according to an FTZ Board Federal Register notice. Under the reorganization, the zone's service area would cover Appanoose, Benton, Blackhawk, Buchanan, Cedar, Clinton, Davis, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Grundy, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Mahaska, Monroe, Muscatine, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington Counties. The zone would be adjacent to the Quad-Cities and Des Moines Ports of Entry. ASF streamlines processes for designation of new FTZ subzones and usage driven sites within the larger service area by allowing companies to request zone status through the relatively simple "minor boundary modification" process. Comments on the application are due by May 12.
The Obama administration Export Council Subcommittee on Export Administration (PECSEA) will meet on March 25 at the Commerce Department in Washington D.C. in a partially closed session, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security said. The agenda includes Export Control Reform updates. Those interested in attending should contact Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov by March 18.
The International Trade Administration and the Department of the Interior announced allocations of calendar year 2014 duty exemptions for watch assembly producers located in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The sole 2014 annual duty exemption allocation is for 500,000 to Belair Quartz, Inc.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is requesting input by May 30 on illegal fishing practices for a report to Congress that could serve as the basis for import restrictions. The agency, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is asking for information on countries whose vessels are engaged in illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing, bycatch of protected living marine resources, or fishing activities in international waters that target or incidentally catch sharks. The information is compiled into a report to Congress required every two years under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for March 4:
The New River Valley Economic Development Alliance has submitted an application to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board to reorganize FTZ 238 under the Alternative Site Framework, and expand the zone to cover 22 counties and 10 independent cities in Virginia, according to an FTZ Board Federal Register notice. Under the reorganization, the zone's service area would cover Alleghany, Amherst, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Campbell, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Montgomery, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Pulaski, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Smyth, Tazewell and Wythe Counties. It would also include the independent cities of Bedford, Buena Vista, Covington, Danville, Galax, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Radford, Roanoke and Salem. The zone would be adjacent to the New River Valley Airport Port of Entry. ASF streamlines processes for designation of new FTZ subzones and usage driven sites within the larger service area by allowing companies to request zone status through the relatively simple "minor boundary modification" process. Comments on the application are due by May 5.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for March 3:
The Commerce Department is canceling an export promotion mission to India originally scheduled for April 24-30. The trade mission would have included representatives from U.S. automotive goods companies (see 13112225). The notice gave no reason for the cancellation.
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) assessed on Feb. 19 a $115,000 civil penalty on Santa Clara-based Intevac, Inc. for five violations of the Export Administration Regulations. The violations allegedly occurred from 2007 to 2010. BIS determined Intevac violated the regulations by releasing on a number of occasions technology subject to the Commerce Control List (CCL) to a Russian national without the consent of the Commerce Department. Intevac also exported technology subject to the CCL to a subsidiary located in China. If Intevac fails to pay the fine in a period of 30 days following the injunction, BIS may issue an order denying Intevac’s export privileges for a period of one year.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Feb. 26: